"Gravity"
has won the 2014 Oscar for best visual effects. Director Alfonso Cuaron's space
drama, hailed as a technical marvel, is among the front-runners in a number of
Oscar categories, having been nominated a field-leading 10 times.

If there was a single race in which "Gravity" appeared
unbeatable, however, it was the visual effects category, as the film seamlessly
blended computer imagery and traditional photography to immerse viewers in the
vastness of space. The consensus -- even for those who were less than enamored
with the film's story -- is that the result was nothing short of beautiful.

The award goes to the film's visual effects team of Tim
Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould. It is the first Oscar for
Webber, Lawrence and Shirk. Four-time nominee Corbould previously won the
visual-effects Oscar for his work on 2000's best-picture winner, "Gladiator."

Other films nominated in the visual effects category
this year are "The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug," "Iron Man 3," "The Lone Ranger" and "Star Trek: Into
Darkness."